For Immediate Release
Public Service Employees Rally in Vancouver to Fix Phoenix
Vancouver, October 18, 2017 – Hundreds of members of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) are gathering in Vancouver today to protest the inability of the federal government to Fix Phoenix.
Attention News/Assignment Editors
MEDIA ADVISORY (Photo Opportunity)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
12 October 2017, Ottawa — Hundreds of public service workers are holding a rally at 12:30 pm today in front of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office to send a clear message to the Liberal government: Enough is enough!
The Liberal government had set itself a deadline of October 31, 2016, to resolve the bulk of pay cases and now, a year later, the Phoenix pay system is still struggling. It’s time to fix Phoenix once and for all and pay damages to the thousands of public service workers who have struggled with the consequences of erratic and insufficient pay and, in many cases, no pay.
The ill-conceived and premature launch of the Phoenix pay system has resulted in severe consequences, despite the estimated $750 million spent so far:
“This has gone on long enough,” said Greg McGillis, Regional Executive Vice-President for the Public Service Alliance of Canada in the National Capital Region. “We call on the government to ensure public service workers receive payments for damages due to this unbelievable fiasco.”
“Fixing Phoenix means ending government’s appalling record of over-reliance on IBM and other outsourced services,” said Debi Daviau, President of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada. “Parliamentary Secretary Steven MacKinnon said last week that the government would fix this problem to everyone’s satisfaction using public employees. We plan to hold him to that promise.”
Media Contacts:
Alroy Fonseca
Regional Political Communications Officer
PSAC National Capital Region
613-262-3658 | fonseca@psac-afpc.com
Johanne Fillion
Press Officer
PIPSC
613-883-4900 | jfillion@pipsc.ca
11 October 2017, Ottawa — Public service workers will be holding a rally in front of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office on October 12 to tell the Liberal government that: Enough is enough! Fix Phoenix now and pay damages to workers!
When: 12 October 2017 at 12:30pm
Where: Corner of Wellington and Elgin
What:
Media Contacts:
Alroy Fonseca
Regional Political Communications Officer
PSAC National Capital Region
613-262-3658 | fonseca@psac-afpc.com
Johanne Fillion
Press Officer
PIPSC
613-883-4900 | jfillion@pipsc.ca
Ottawa, September 27, 2017 – The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), which represents approximately 15,000 federal scientists, engineers and researchers, welcomes the announcement of Dr. Mona Nemer as Chief Science Advisor.
“We hope the appointment of Dr. Nemer will ensure federal scientists at last have a true champion for more federal science funding and a strong opponent of muzzling,” said PIPSC President Debi Daviau. “We look forward to the opportunity of working closely with Dr. Nemer.”
Under the previous Harper government, federal science-based departments and agencies faced severe funding cuts and many scientists were muzzled. PIPSC fought hard against both, eventually winning contract language earlier this year that specifically recognizes the right of scientists to speak freely about science and their research.
“Reinvesting in federal science also remains a priority for our members,” added Daviau. “Dr. Nemer’s early comments that she supports more funding for science will be viewed as a hopeful sign by many federal scientists. Canada not only needs more science, it needs more scientists.”
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada represents some 55,000 professionals across Canada’s federal and provincial public sectors.
Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter (@pipsc_ipfpc).
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For further information:
Johanne Fillion
613-228-6310, ext 4953 or 613-883-4900 (cell)
jfillion@pipsc.ca
For Immediate Release
University of Ottawa IT Professionals (UOITP) considering possible job action this week
Ottawa, September 11, 2017 – University of Ottawa Information Technology Professionals (UOITP) represented by the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) will be studying their options this week as a mediator tries to resolve a weeks-long impasse at the bargaining table.
For Immediate Release
Labour Day 2017: Labouring to Fix Phoenix
Ottawa, September 1, 2017 – Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) members attending this year's Labour Day parade* in downtown Ottawa will be encouraging the public and the labour movement to show their solidarity for public servants hurt by the Phoenix pay roll system. PIPSC’s float – a modified bus – will encourage the Labour Day crowd to "Get on board with fixing Phoenix," which has plagued public servants since it was rolled out in early 2016.
“Late pay, no pay, wrong pay. Our members are understandably in a less than festive mood. One in two federal employees is affected and there’s still no permanent fix in sight,” said PIPSC President Debi Daviau. “Public servants never know what is next on the horizon when it comes to Phoenix. Our members deserve to know when its problems are going to be fixed once and for all.”
Some efforts are being made to improve the situation, such as the creation of an “Inter-Department Analysis Team” which will include representatives from various departments, the Treasury Board, vendors and unions. Improvements to the Call Centres are also welcome. But these efforts still fall short of the mark, as new problems with Phoenix continue to emerge. Most recently, issues with retroactive pay and the lack of pension and benefit statements for the year cast doubt on a quick fix.
“We recognize the government’s efforts to address these issues, but much more needs to be done to resolve these problems once and for all, and soon. Our public service was recently recognized as the best in the world. We need to keep it that way. A critical way to ensure it is to fix Phoenix,” concluded Daviau.
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada represents some 55,000 professionals across Canada’s federal and provincial public sectors.
Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter (@pipsc_ipfpc).
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For further information:
Pierre Villon
(613) 228-6310 ext 4928 (office)
or (613) 794-9369 (cell.)
pvillon@pipsc.ca
(*) Parade starts at Ottawa City Hall (Elgin and Lisgar) at noon and ends at McNabb Park (Gladstone and Bronson), where there will be activities, entertainment, food and more from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
For Immediate Release
CRA GTA modernisation plan risks harming staff and service, says PIPSC
Ottawa, August 2, 2017 – Canada Revenue Agency’s plan to centre the expertise of its Greater Toronto Area (GTA) operations within four different locations risks harming staff recruitment and retention as well as taxpayer services, says the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC).
For Immediate Release
Ottawa, May 1, 2017 – Following the government’s announcement earlier this year that civilian members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) will be deemed to be appointed under the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) in April 2018, the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) has submitted an application to the Public Service Labour Relations and Employment Board (PSLREB) to become the bargaining agent for some 1,360 of these employees whose primary duties fall within one of the bargaining units for which PIPSC is the certified bargaining agent.
This would allow these RCMP employees to be protected by a union and to have official representatives working on their behalf as soon as possible.
While there are some differences between the terms and conditions of employment for civilian RCMP members and their counterparts in the federal public service, PIPSC has taken steps to ensure its future members' rights are protected and terms and conditions preserved as they transition into the public service.
“We look forward to welcoming these new members into our community of dedicated professionals who serve Canadians every day. We believe we will be stronger together”, said PIPSC President Debi Daviau. “Our goal is to ensure that they maintain their current terms and conditions of employment and that the deeming process goes as smoothly as possible as they transition to occupational groups represented by the Institute”.
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada represents some 55,000 professionals across Canada’s federal and provincial public sectors.
Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter (@pipsc_ipfpc).
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For further information:
Pierre Villon
(613) 228-6310 ext 4928 (office)
or (613) 794-9369 (cell.)
pvillon@pipsc.ca